Food is Medicine
1 in 7
Households struggle to put food on the table.
Food is medicine. It's a simple idea with growing scientific backing: when people have reliable access to nutritious food, they get sick less often, manage chronic conditions more effectively, and need less medical care.
At a time when nearly half of all American adults live with a chronic disease linked to diet, and 1 in 7 households struggle to put food on the table, programs that support nutritious food access are more needed than ever.
IGI is proud to partner with Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and Island Health Care to create Food Is Medicine intervention programs that work for our community.
Together, we connect patients facing food insecurity or diet-related illness with free shares from the IGI farm CSA, along with cooking classes to help them make the most of what they receive.
We're also working toward a coordinated referral system that would make it easier for health care providers across the island to connect patients with food support, and developing medically tailored grocery boxes built around local ingredients. Our goal is a seamless connection between the health care system and the food system, supporting community health and wellness through the power of food.
FIM research is compelling. If scaled nationally, these programs could:
Reduce hospitalizations ( avoid up to 2.6 million hospitalizations each year)
Reduce health care costs ( save the healthcare system up to $48B each year)
Support local agriculture (direct $5.6B directly to small and mid-sized farms)